


Consequences, and Why Trust Should Be Earned and Not Given

by cocoa_addict



Series: Choices, Consequences and Chances [1]
Category: Persona 2, Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series, Persona | Revelations Persona
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Akechi Goro Lives, Akechi Goro Needs a Hug, Akechi Goro Redemption, Akechi Goro and Sakura Futaba Are Half-Siblings, Akechi Goro is Bad at Feelings, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Siblings, Canon-Typical Violence, Female Persona 3 Protagonist and Male Persona 3 Protagonist are Twins, Fluff and Angst, Gunshot Wounds, Hijinks & Shenanigans, I AM A MESS, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV Third Person Limited, Past Relationship(s), Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Scars, Self-Destruction, Suicidal Thoughts, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Threats of Violence, Trans Male Character, chat sections might be messy, idk how to format anything so, no beta we die like men, some text chats, sometimes not, sometimes proper research is done, this is a mess, this is going to be a wild ride, update schedule will be a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:41:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28807497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cocoa_addict/pseuds/cocoa_addict
Summary: Meeting the Universe and then God were not things Akechi Goro expected to do today. Neither was surviving losing a fight against the Phantom Thieves of Heart, but hell, he did all three. And now, he's waiting for the consequences.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Lavenza, Akechi Goro & Morgana, Akechi Goro & Niijima Makoto, Akechi Goro & Niijima Sae, Akechi Goro & Other(s), Akechi Goro & Persona 5 Protagonist, Akechi Goro & Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Akechi Goro & Sakura Futaba, Akechi Goro & Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Arisato Minako/Kirijo Mitsuru, Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Persona 4 Protagonist, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji, Kurosu Jun/Suou Tatsuya, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sakura Futaba/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Shirogane Naoto/Tatsumi Kanji
Series: Choices, Consequences and Chances [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2112030
Comments: 15
Kudos: 60





	1. I survived, and I'm making it your problem

**Author's Note:**

> please mind that this work will have a lot of spoilers for all of the canon persona games, and the story does get very dark at times. i hope you enjoy reading this as much as i've enjoyed writing this!

**\--------**

A gunshot, and the slam of a door.

_"Akechi, no!"_

He has to do this. Akechi can't falter here, or _they_ will be next. Keeping his gun trained on the sneering mirror in front of him, Akechi steadies his aim.

_"Crow! He's too strong!"_

Two gunshots and white explodes across his vision, pain searing into his side. His aim was fatal, the shot was not.

_"Remember your promise!"_

Akechi shakily retrieves an item from his pockets, crushes it, and collapses as the world goes dark.

\----

Her sister gave her such a simple quest, and yet as Elizabeth stands on the deck of a ship, attempting to avoid detection, she finds herself in a far more difficult situation than she anticipated.

_"Please, you must save him. He will be left to die otherwise, and I cannot allow for that to happen."_

Lavenza did not have the time to be specific. A date and time, and nothing else. Elizabeth has no idea what she's looking for. Well, no, that's disingenuous. She _does_ know, she's looking for her sister's second guest, but she doesn't know who that actually is.

…

Scratch that, it's likely the young man with a bullet wound to the side who just collapsed on the front steps of the Palace entrance. Elizabeth jumps into action, rushing to summon a Persona, heal the boy, and get out of here with him in tow.

"Who do you think you are?!" Oh no. One of the twins. Elizabeth won't have time to do a full heal on the guest, she'll have to get him to a hospital instead, or risk him falling into the imposter's hands.

Elizabeth beats the lone twin to the guest, healing him enough to move him safely, and picks him up. The twin catches up just as Elizabeth stands up, and glares at her.

"Put him down," the twin warns in a low voice, summoning a Persona behind her. Elizabeth feels rather bad, as she doesn't _want_ to fight the girl.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth apologizes, before casting sleep on the twin. More people are coming, and Elizabeth _has_ to go. She doesn't have time to make sure the guest is no longer bleeding, people are coming from within the Palace.

Elizabeth is forced to leave the twin asleep in the middle of the deck, disappearing into reality. Hopefully, she's not bringing a bloody mess into reality with her.

\----

Akechi has been hurt plenty of times before. He even has the scars to prove it, in some places.

But taking a bullet to the side? _Nothing_ he's felt before compares to the pain of getting shot.

_Deep breaths, just take deep breaths and ignore the pain. You're still alive if you're feeling pain, and if you're still alive, you have far better things to focus on._

Akechi opens his eyes, only to find a sea of stars in the place of any familiar sights. A golden door looms overhead, and Akechi's heart jumps to his throat. He doesn't know where he is anymore. He had been with the Phantom Thieves, Maruki's heart had been stolen, but... He had just been in the cruise ship, and had passed out after being _shot_. That's how he ended up here, did changing Maruki's heart send him _back_ to the last moment he experienced before Maruki's influence started taking over?

Akechi winces as he tries to sit up. He's injured, with no idea how he got here, or how he could possibly go back, and he doesn't even know what the timeline of events looks like at this point. He doesn't even know if he can sit up anymore, or if the wound is too bad for him to do anything besides lie down and die.

Lie down and die?

Fuck that. Akechi ever so carefully sits up. He doesn't care how much it hurts, he's not going to _lie down and die_ . Not here, not now. Even if he _hadn't_ made that stupid promise, losing here would be stupid, and make everything pointless. He hasn't worked with Shido for nearly three godforsaken years only for them to end pointlessly. Even if the Phantom Thieves change Shido's heart, Akechi _has_ to see him grovel. And if they don't, then he still has to kill Shido. Either way, he has unfinished business.

Akechi stands up, knees shaking and breath unsteady. He stays standing through spite alone. Only the weak would fall, and he didn't solo Palaces for two and a half years for _nothing_ . Akechi _is_ strong, far stronger than the cognition, and he refuses to fall. Beyond the fact that if he falls, it's likely a death sentence, Akechi _refuses_ to fall before his father does.

Akechi did not awaken to his Personas only to remain weak. He did not answer Loki's call just to fail in the end. Akechi will scream himself into voicelessness if it means being heard for once, if it means his commitment to the promise will be heard. Fuck going silently into the night, Akechi isn't going _anywhere_. God didn't kill him, and now everyone gets to regret that decision. He will make himself a big enough problem until something decides to boot him back into reality, and then he will carry on as always, working towards his changed goals.

Akechi didn't make a promise just to go and die. Joker does _not_ get to remind him of the promise and not have Akechi follow it up.

This trait might have even been admirable, if Akechi was a better person. But he's not, and Akechi no longer cares. Fuck what other people think, he has a far better goal than before, and he refuses to let his story end like this.

_I've never seen a wild card start their journey like this, in the Sea of Souls itself._

Akechi doesn't recognize the voice that leaks into his thoughts and echoes in his head. He doesn't like this, nor does he like its tone. It feels patronizing, and leaves a sour taste in Akechi's mouth.

_Good, still defiant. That's what woke me up. I'd be disappointed if you suddenly dropped it._

Akechi may be injured, but he's still armed. Is sword-fighting a great way to exasperate his injuries? Yes. But Akechi is, quite frankly, completely and utterly done with unfamiliar voices in his head. He will take just his Personas, thank you very much. Akechi draws his sword, gripping far too tightly to use it effectively. Akechi doesn't care, he can loosen his grip later.

_I mean you no harm, Akechi Goro. Simply think of me as a concerned passerby, one who has seen you denied what you should have already received. Will you allow me to help you?_

On the one hand, Akechi just beat up the Phantom Thieves specifically to prove he didn't need help, and lost. He's aware that getting out of here by his lonesome will prove to be difficult, and he probably should take the help for once in his life. But on the other, Akechi does _not_ work with mysterious voices in his head anymore, especially not ones who know his name.

_I admire your refusal to risk working with someone similar to the false god, the demiurge, Yaldabaoth, whatever he told you to call him, but I am not that. In fact, I am far more like you and your partner, I… Hmm. I suppose I simply reached the other side of the board, if you'll entertain a chess reference._

_The Velvet Room has restrictions in helping you they must follow, or they will upset the balance of a game far greater than you or I._ I _do not have those restrictions, and may help you to a greater degree than they can. I am simply invested in allowing you the greatest freedom to complete your journey as possible. All I ask you to do is connect with the people you will find with you, and to finish your journey. Who you connect with and how, or how you complete your journey is up to you. That is my one request in exchange for my help._

Akechi pauses, mulling over the options. The voice doesn't sound like it has ulterior motives, it explained far more than Yaldabaoth ever did, but Akechi still refuses to make the same mistake twice.

"I have no reason to trust you. I don't know you, and have no way to confirm the things you're saying." Akechi is upfront with his suspicions. If the voice _isn't_ bad, unlike what Akechi is suspecting, then it shouldn't be too insulted by his suspicions, should it?

_That is entirely understandable, but I have no way to prove my trustworthiness while stuck in a door. I_ can _have other sources, such as the Velvet Room and my friends, back me up though. Would you be content with me sending you to the Velvet Room, you get the chance to ask around and confirm my intentions, and I bother you the next time you sleep?_

Akechi slowly starts to nod. The fact that they're going to such lengths to ease Akechi's worries is far better than anything Yaldabaoth did, but Akechi isn't going to preemptively confirm anything until those sources back up the claims. He decides to ignore the 'stuck in a door' comment for now, as that sounds very far from an issue he needs to be concerned with.

"Alright, what should I refer to you as, then?"

_Most will likely recognize me by my given name, Minato. Others, the Great Seal or the Universe. Whichever you prefer._

Well, two of those sound pretentious. Akechi decides Minato is what he'll use, even if already calling someone by their given name like this feels weird.

"Well then, on this particular front, we have a deal. I'll gauge your trustworthiness myself, and we'll see if I'll take your deal next time we speak." Akechi puts his sword back in its sheath. The bullet wound seems to have stopped bleeding, but Akechi knows neither how nor how long it'll last.

_Wonderful, Akechi-kun. I do hope you'll agree, then. The Velvet Room will be pleased to see you, I'm sure._

Akechi's world fades to white.

\----

First, Akira just watched the one person he desperately wanted to save drive himself insane in his own desperate attempt to beat Akira and his friends.

Then, just when they had coaxed Akechi back onto their side, the cognition showed up and shot him, and Futaba lost Akechi's signal after that.

After dragging his heavily injured team out to the front of the Palace, with everyone doing the best they could to support each other, Akira finds an unconscious Justine, visible to everyone. Well, there's a limit to how far she can walk away from the door without becoming visible, then.

Miserably explaining the twins and the Velvet Room while praying Justine wakes up because they're out of items is not how Akira wanted to spend the rest of the night. He _wants_ to go home and cry, although admitting that last part to his friends isn't something he plans to do.

Akira is strong, strong for his friends and strong for his allies. He can't break yet, he can do that in private so everyone else has a break. They've supported him enough tonight, none of them deserve to deal with him being a sobbing mess over the boy who just tried to kill them.

Akira wonders if his parents ever went through wild things like this.

\----

Akechi opens his eyes to a dark and damp cell, the sounds of an aria and piano permeating through the cell. They're surprisingly soothing, despite the otherwise abysmal room Akechi has found himself in.

Getting pulled out of it is unceremonious, and Akechi barely has time to think, _This can't be Minato's fault_ , before he's dragged elsewhere, a faint cry from someone else in the room marking his—hopefully—temporary departure.

\----

The gunshot wound is surprisingly far along the healing process when Akechi next opens his eyes. Akechi wakes up in a hospital room, but he is not in the bed, nor is he in reality. He's sitting on a visitor's chair across from the room.

A golden butterfly disappears from view just as he spots it, and Akechi is no longer sure if he imagined it or not.

**"Oh. It's you."** Akechi tenses when the Shadow in the room addresses him. Kayo Murakami, a mental shutdown victim. She was the request of a particularly corrupt politician who he got to take out shortly after, but she was still was caught in the crossfire.

Akechi isn't sure if it's his nerves or guilt gnawing at his gut.

**"I suppose that tracks,"** the Shadow muses to herself. Akechi has no idea what she's referring to, and doesn't bother masking his confusion. His physical mask does that for him well enough. He's talking to the Shadow in Mementos. The surface specifically, judging by the dilapidated buildings and lack of train tracks.

There's no visible bullet wound for the Shadow to see, and Akechi can't just _check_ while the Shadow is sitting there. The pain is far more dull than it was while he was speaking with Minato.

**"So?"** Akechi realizes that the Shadow was expecting him to say something. He opens his mouth for a moment, before snapping it close as he tries to figure out what to say.

The Shadow leans back on the bed, watching Akechi. Akechi finds his words again, and hopes he can navigate this situation carefully enough to avoid it transforming.

"I don't know you well enough to know if you want an apology. If you do, I'd be more than willing to give you one, but I don't want to put you in a situation where you feel obligated to accept an apology you don't want." The Shadow says nothing, and Akechi hopes he's on the right track.

"I took you from your friends and family unfairly, for a selfish reason. I kept telling myself that I _had_ to continue, that otherwise everything would have happened for nothing, and that was incredibly stupid of me. _I_ was incredibly stupid. You didn't have to die, and I shouldn't have taken your life from you. I shouldn't have taken you from your friends and family, but I did. And now we're both here, and I don't know if you're just here temporarily or if you could even go back to your other self, but I know you have friends and family who desperately want you to wake up."

**"Why did you kill me?"** Well, the Shadow _certainly_ isn't pulling any punches. Akechi can't meet her eyes anymore. It was stupid when he did it and even stupider now.

"Revenge. Not against you, but I thought by working with someone, I could get close enough to take him down. It was stupid then, and was a horrible plan. It got innocent people killed."

The Shadow pauses, humming to herself for a moment. **"You don't sound very old, and you've acknowledged your plan was stupid. I wonder, did we get close, then?"** Akechi realizes the Shadow is like musing to herself, rather than directly talking to him. He keeps his mouth shut, looking up as the Shadow meets his eyes.

**"Who changed your heart, kid?"**

"What?" Akechi blinks, caught off-guard by the question.

**"Who showed you that you could change? I recognize a changed heart when I see one, kid."** The Shadow taps her chest as she speaks, and Akechi is trying to force his bewilderment into a small bottle so he can ignore it. He's never been so glad his stupid mask completely covers his face, because having the Shadow see his confusion would be rather embarrassing.

"A friend." There's no point in lying, Shadows are not their real selves. The Shadow will probably appreciate the honesty regardless, so perhaps he can get to the end of this conversation faster if he doesn't avoid her questions. "Perhaps in another time and place it could have been something else, but he never really gave up, even when I gave up on myself."

The Shadow accepts the answer, nodding with a very slight smile. **"Perhaps. You mentioned my friends and family are waiting, yes?"**

"Yes," Akechi says with a nod. The Shadow begins to fade, and while it is nothing like the fade to ash a killed Shadow does, it still panics Akechi, his clawed gloves biting into the seat.

The Shadow doesn't notice his panic, or doesn't seem to care. She looks to be at peace, as she tells Akechi one last thing with a smile. **"I won't keep them waiting. I hope you can find your way."**

The Shadow disappears, and Akechi stays sitting, tense. He didn't kill the Shadow again, did he? It didn't seem like it, but… Akechi thinks back to the changes of heart in Mementos which the Phantom Thieves brought him along to. It looked like one of those. Did Akechi send the Shadow back to her other self?

_"Yes."_

Akechi jumps, claws tearing into the fabric of the seat. That voice wasn't Minato. Akechi's heart beats even faster, and he snarls.

"Who's there?"

_"First, let us meet face-to-face. Then I shall introduce myself."_

Akechi does _not_ like the voice's plan, and jumps to his feet, making his protests heard. "You're not taking me any—"

Akechi's vision goes black before he can finish, and he stumbles, falling to his knees.

\----

_"Oh dear, I didn't mean for you to be disoriented. My apologies."_

A man bends at the waist to look down at Akechi, his expression a small frown. The man's face, although slightly familiar from the little Akechi can see, is obscured by a mostly full face mask. A sculpted butterfly wing adorns the right side of the mask, painted with oranges and golds.

The man takes another step back as Akechi gets up, barely casting a glance at the sword Akechi is already reaching for. They're back in that place, what did Minato call it, the Sea of Souls?

They're on some sort of pavilion, but the starry Sea surrounds them. The man has an almost smothering aura, so innately powerful that Akechi thinks he must be losing his mind when he realizes he doesn't find the atmosphere _oppressive_ , even as it gets close to overwhelming. Oddly enough, the only feelings that are overwhelming are the ones most view as 'good'.

That makes Akechi deeply uncomfortable. Just like Yaldabaoth gave off an aura of absolute control, this man seems to be giving off a similar aura. One made of traditionally good things, sure, but is it possible for anything to even be that good?

_"I am the representation of the good of Humanity, Akechi Goro. My name is Philemon, and I am also the creator of the Velvet Room. Igor, its proprietor, serves me, and helps wild cards while they travel on their journey."_

Philemon pauses, his frown growing deeper. 

_"I do not usually get involved for numerous reasons, but I have made a mistake, and was unfortunately too late to fix it. You should not have received the chance to right the wrong you committed against Murakami Kayo—despite how much I wish you could have—as it has opened a path for Nyarlathotep to reach you, as it has upset the balance. In return for my mistake, I will be sending you back to the Velvet Room better equipped to face this issue, and will explain myself to the ones who you will find yourself with in reality. Good day, Akechi Goro. I do hope that this can be fixed."_

Philemon disappears in a flash of light without giving Akechi a chance to respond. Rather than fading to black or white, Akechi's vision is eclipsed by a swarm of golden butterflies.

\----

If Akechi has to make even a single stop after this before he can wake up, he's fairly sure he's going to scream. It wasn't _great_ when Minato just started talking to him without warning, but the encounters with Murakami Kayo's Shadow and then this mysterious Philemon have completely soured any semblance of a decent mood Akechi may have had.

The shackles Akechi wakes up in, including an entire _ball and chain_ , do not help with Akechi's mood. Nor does the tattered striped prisoner's outfit. Akechi gets to his feet and moves towards the cell door, hissing when he twists in just the wrong way to set off his gunshot wound.

Lavenza, at the very least, is beyond relieved to see Akechi again, and looks tearful and incredibly apologetic as she welcomes him to the Velvet Room.

"I am sorry, my guest. I should be more composed, but after you appeared and then disappeared from the room so quickly, I was afraid we had lost you…" Lavenza wipes her eyes quickly, trying to keep her remaining composure together. A part of Akechi feels bad, realizing that while he didn't _ask_ to get dragged around, Lavenza does appear to genuinely care about Akechi's safety. "I'm glad my sister was able to save you when I was incapacitated."

"I am also sorry about the…" Lavenza trails off as she squints at the cell and Akechi inside it, before she resumes speaking. "Well, it unfortunately seems that the false god's influence has caused the room to look like _this_ for you as well."

Akechi nods along, as he doesn't have anything useful to say, and isn't in the mood to upset Lavenza any more that she already is. Igor hums at his desk, putting down three cards from a deck that had slipped Akechi's notice.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. My name is Igor, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." Igor properly introduces himself, a move Akechi appreciates. The only things he knows about this man are the things Joker had mentioned, and even then, most of it seemed to be about _Yaldabaoth_ rather than Igor himself.

"I see you have already met the master of this room. I wonder, how will that meeting influence the events of your journey?" 

"What? Master Igor, what do you mean he met the master of the room?" Lavenza looks towards Igor in a way that makes Akechi uncomfortable once more. He can't tell why Lavenza would be surprised, but given Joker's lack of mention about Philemon, Akechi is beginning to think that meeting his is perhaps not as common as he initially believed. There is still the issue of Akechi not knowing how Philemon made him better equipped to face the issue _he_ brought upon Akechi.

Igor hums to himself a bit more, ignoring Lavenza's question to focus back on Akechi. "So you have received a gift not given in nearly twenty years. Additionally, you appear to have made contact with a previous guest. I am sure you have many questions, but we may not have enough time for all of them.."

Lavenza turns away from both Igor and Akechi, mumbling to herself. Akechi takes it upon himself to ignore her, and turns to Igor.

"Indeed, I do. You mentioned a gift, would I be incorrect in assuming that it's connected to the man who was calling himself Philemon earlier?" Akechi is aware he likely doesn't have time to waste, so he doesn't pull any punches with his questions.

"You would not," Igor confirms, without elaborating on what the gift actually is. Akechi frowns, realizing that he's likely going to have to be specific, or get Lavenza to start answering his questions instead.

"Well then, what _is_ the gift?" Akechi holds out hope on an actual answer, and good thing he did or he would have been disappointed with Igor's answer.

"That is a very long line of questions, I'm afraid. I could explain, if you would like, but it may take away from other questions." Igor gives Akechi absolutely nothing to work on. Oh yes, expect Akechi to make a decision when he has no way of knowing the consequences of.

"Ask the older Persona users you're with," Lavenza whispers to Akechi. "They have all of the information you need." Lavenza is a god-send. _Now_ Akechi has some good information to use in decision-making.

Igor sighs, and Lavenza takes a half-step back from the cell door, mumbling an apology to the long nosed man.

"Well then, I think we can move on from that for now. What can you tell me about a boy named 'Minato'? He offered his help, but… Well, I'm sure _you_ would be able to understand why I am no longer comfortable with trusting disembodied voices in my head who claim things without a way to back it up." Akechi taps the bars of his cell, trying to not let his ire for Yaldabaoth leak into his words. Lavenza looks like she wants to say something, but doesn't.

"I can attest to the characters of all past guests of the Velvet Room, and Arisato Minato is not exempt to that. He has both family and friends who would agree. If he is offering help, you may find it useful." Igor doesn't _quite_ sing any praises, but Akechi has quickly learned to not expect that from Igor. Akechi looks towards Lavenza, to see if she'll give another peanut gallery comment.

Lavenza meets his eyes, and nods with a small smile. "I believe you and Arisato-san could be good friends."

"I'll consider that route if you're sure, Lavenza-san." Akechi doubts he will, he's entertaining the idea for Lavenza's sake. He's heard Minato speak, and that's it. He doesn't know Minato whatsoever, and given that Minato is _in a door_ , Akechi doesn't think there will be much of a chance to get to know him better.

An alarm starts ringing, startling Akechi. He takes a step back as Igor sighs.

"It seems this marks the end of our time." Igor waves a hand, and the alarm stops.

Akechi is starting to hate black and white. Is fading to black simply a reoccurring trope in his life now?

\----

If Akechi wakes up somewhere besides reality, he's going to riot. He will throw hands if it comes down to it, because Akechi is beginning to get sick and tired of being passed between people with little to no say in the matter.

Akechi's hands are saved from a fight when Akechi wakes up in a hospital bed, and what at the very least _seems_ like reality. A relief, for one thing. No more bullshit with the Sea, or the Velvet Room, just Akechi in reality.

Akechi feels ready to pass out again, unceremoniously hitting the nurse call button. He almost feels bad for whatever poor nurse must be receiving this and realizing it's the room with the criminal in it. Well, he can remain both cordial and conscious, he didn't do multiple months of media training to nail down his mask only to never use it, and he's most certainly not about to pass out until he figures out what's been going on since he ended up here.

_'Oh come on, are you really going to trust them? Why? Because you're not locked to the bed?'_ Loki sneers, lurking within Akechi's thoughts. Akechi balls his hands into fists, gripping at the blanket on his bed. Loki did _not_ need to bring up restraints, Akechi did _not_ need to be reminded of that.

_'They were working under_ **_his_ ** _orders then, and there's no evidence that any of his influence has followed us. If the hospital staff here are aware of what led us here, there's no realistic reason that they wouldn't have informed the police department, and if the police knew, we wouldn't be here.'_ Robin Hood argues against Loki's point of view, and Akechi is just glad he has a far better point. If Shido's influence had followed, Akechi would either be dead or handcuffed to the bed at the very least.

_'Do you think they didn't learn from_ **_his_ ** _mistakes?'_ Loki's venom is unmistakably present while he addresses the subject of Shido's actions, and he continues. _'We turned on Shido the second we got, they're not stupid. You catch more flies with honey, after all. They could just as easily be trying to lure us into a false sense of safety. Shido wasn't the only one who—'_

"Loki, please, _stop_. I've been awake for five goddamned minutes, I don't need you going off about things I don't want to hear mentioned for the rest of my life."

_'That LIFE of yours might be cut short if you're not careful,'_ Loki snaps back.

Akechi ignores the two entirely, not even bothering to listen to Robin Hood start chewing out Loki. A nurse comes in, giving him the perfect excuse. Akechi slips into one of his masks, looking over at the nurse.

Clearly, judging by facial expressions, the nurse must have been expecting a false alarm. She begins to panic, stammering out an apology.

"O-Oh! You're actually awake, um, I will return with the doctor shortly." She disappears from the door, out into the hall, and Akechi sighs, looking down. He needs to unclench his hands and stay calm. It will be fine, there's an equally high chance that they're not related to Shido as there is a chance that the staff has a relationship to the antisocial force.

Someone's coming, and they're not supposed to be here. Akechi can hear a woman protesting with staff, and his skin crawls. He doesn't recognize the voice, but the women who worked with Shido were often far worse than the men by necessity. The men? Cruel, stupid fools. If they had agency, the women were always dangerous, sharp eyed, and tended towards being allied with Shido's yakuza ties. Not to be messed with, and if one of them is here to talk with Akechi, it won't end well for him. 

Loki bristles enough to the point that Akechi can feel him trying to claw his way back into Akechi's thoughts. Akechi shoves Loki aside, he doesn't need the peanut gallery.

"I _told_ you, I just need _three_ minutes with him, and I don't care if it's alone or not, guest, please help me." Akechi doesn't recognize the woman, but the white hair and yellow eyes tip him off to her being related to Lavenza, quite possibly the sister she mentioned saving him. Akechi decides to lie, and gives her a better chance to talk with him privately.

"It's fine, I'm okay with speaking with her, I know her." Akechi hopes the lie works, and the staff hesitate.

"He just woke up, will you at least wait until after we do our jobs?" The same nurse from earlier tries bargaining, and while Akechi pauses, he nods. Lavenza's sister pauses as well, before nodding with a tight frown.

"Fine, I will wait for your staff to perform your duties. I will also inform Nanjo-san of his awakening myself, as he was meeting with an old friend and is unlikely to be able to respond to _your_ summons. I will be waiting outside." Lavenza's sister meets Akechi's eyes, staring at him intensely, before walking out into the hallway.

Akechi is no longer sure that her not being connected to Shido is a good thing.


	2. Maybe Hell Was the Better Option

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess which silly goose didn't check to see when their finals were? (hint: me)
> 
> Hopefully you enjoy this, thank you so much if you're following my work, I really do appreciate it.

"I suppose I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? My name is Elizabeth, and like you, I am a guest of the Velvet Room. I also served as an attendant prior to the beginning of my journey. My younger sister, Lavenza, is your attendant."

Akechi watches Elizabeth with a small frown. She mentioned the name _Nanjo_ before leaving previously, and Akechi is only aware of one group that name could be connected to.

The fact that the Nanjo group is possibly involved in this doesn't sit right with Akechi. 

If they're working with the Velvet Room, it's unlikely they have any ties to Shido, besides _maybe_ a mole. The less ties back to Shido, the better. Shido may be gone, but his associates are still likely to be on the lookout for Akechi, and getting caught is something that Akechi can't afford.

There's also the question of whether they even _know_ what he's done. If Elizabeth isn't currently working for the Velvet Room, would she necessarily be privy to the same information as Lavenza is? How much information might Elizabeth have which she simply decided not to pass on?

Akechi can deal with unknowns _when they don't affect so much_ . Now, he's navigating a minefield completely blind. Without getting Elizabeth to spill what she and her group knows, Akechi won't be able to figure out what he should hold onto. If Elizabeth doesn't know much, she's likely fully aware of how important it is that she gets _him_ talking instead.

"In case you weren't aware, I was the one who rescued you from the Cruiser of Pride and brought you here. I'm not quite sure if my sister would have mentioned that to you or not." Elizabeth continues trying to spark a conversation, and Akechi taps his knee, waiting a beat before responding.

"She didn't mention you by name, but yes, you were brought up. I must provide my thanks for that." Watching and waiting for a response, Akechi knows that either Elizabeth is going to have to admit she's seen his black masked outfit, or she's going to have to make herself look incredibly stupid.

"I'm sure you're curious why I would willingly help a man who _I_ know has committed numerous crimes for a rather despicable man. After all, as someone who is not currently working for the Velvet Room, I am not privy to all of the same information as my sister." Elizabeth leans forward in her seat, directly meeting Akechi's gaze as she continues. "You should be incredibly grateful that I trust my sister's judgement."

Akechi _knew_ that she had to know, but that does nothing against the threats. Akechi can shrug off threats without substance, stupid people have made more stupid threats than he can count. But something in Akechi is screaming that Elizabeth could snap him in half if she so desired.

He _is_ grateful that Lavenza believes that he can change, regardless of how stupid Akechi thinks that idea actually is. Otherwise, he would be handcuffed to the bed, with a jail cell waiting for him. Now, Akechi just has to convince multiple other people he doesn't know, and who likely don't know Lavenza well, to trust him.

Great. Akechi hopes they'll just throw him in prison quickly, he'd prefer being killed by Shido's men sooner rather than later. 

Convincing these people is going to be impossible for Akechi, he may as well just ask them to let him poison himself here and be placed on the DNR. At least then he knows he'll die quickly if he does it himself, compared to the long, drawn out death that waits for him if Shido's associates find him.

Akechi's journey, ending before it even began. Like so many other stupid things in his frankly stupid life. Akechi was an idiot for getting involved with Shido, so perhaps a stupid way to go—caught red-handed by strangers while _unconscious_ —is fitting for a criminal like him.

Elizabeth hums, and Akechi curses himself internally. He must have let something slip onto his expression, _damnit_.

Elizabeth watches Akechi carefully as she speaks."Perhaps you've already realized the position you're in. I will not lie, convincing this division will be rather difficult. They are rather suspicious, even if I've continued to let them believe that you are _only_ Crow, rather than also being Shido Masayoshi's personal assassin."

"What?" Akechi didn't mean to ask that out loud, it's a mistake he immediately regrets. Letting her know he's confused is bad, very bad, he can't give her that sort of ground, but he _did_ , like the idiot he is.

Elizabeth smiles, and Akechi labels it self satisfied. He's lost a very important piece in the game, hasn't he?

"Confused?" The smile disappears— _good_ —and Elizabeth frowns slightly. "So am I," Elizabeth admits.

Why the hell is _she_ confused? Akechi bottles his own confusion, and hides behind a shield of aloofness.

Elizabeth continues, clarifying, "I'm not necessarily confused about why they believe so. I have heard the information they're working off of myself. What I _am_ confused about is why _that_ was the information they were given. That it's the information the _public_ was given through the testimony of the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Heart."

That fucking idiot. Akira covered for Akechi. Why the _hell_ would he do that? _How_ did he do it? Sae would have known Akechi's role, she wouldn't have let Akira lie. And if she _did_ , she—a god damn prosecutor—let Akira knowingly commit _perjury_. If it came out…

Akechi hides his internal reactions, and looks Elizabeth in the eyes. He raises an eyebrow, keeping his voice smooth, _perfect_. "Are you accusing the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Heart of lying to a court in his testimony? That would be perjury, a crime."

"I'm not, surprisingly enough. It could be that he was already skilled enough to avoid perjury by themself, but that would raise the question of if they would be skilled enough to navigate cross examination without tripping up once. I believe they may have been coached, although how they may have convinced _anyone_ to go along with the plan is behind me."

"They may have been committing perjury regardless." Akechi doesn't know how Akira could have possibly convinced Sae to go along with it, either. Their relationship was a work relationship, and even then it was rocky at best towards the end. It's unlikely that some part of Sae didn't immediately begin to despise Akechi as soon as she became aware of everything.

"The details on the Cruiser of Pride were sparse at best, especially compared to the parts of the previous testimony that were allowed into court." Akechi hides his surprise at the fact that _any_ of that testimony was allowed in. Akira had been heavily drugged and beaten, it wasn't just gained through coercion, or was gained through _torture_.

Elizabeth crosses her legs, tapping a finger against her chin. "In the testimony, the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Heart—self identified as Joker, so I'll be referring to them by that name—was sparse about the details of traveling through the Cruiser of Pride. The main thing Joker mentioned besides the actual process of stealing Shido Masayoshi's heart was, and I quote, "a beyond difficult fight against Shido's assassin. The assassin nearly killed us." And, Joker claimed, that the group lost a member, Crow. According to them, Crow— _you_ —sacrificed yourself to take out Shido's assassin, and they were unable to save you."

Elizabeth stares at him, and to Akechi it's rather clear she's trying to read his reaction. "In short, you died killing yourself. Would you care to explain how this was possible, and why Joker would cover for you?"

Akechi pauses, trying to think of an answer. He can answer the first part, he shot a cognition of himself that likely would have killed everyone else if he didn't do something. But the second part?

Akira is a fucking idiot, how the hell is he supposed to know? He's so horribly stupid that Akira is an _enigma_ to Akechi. Nothing he does _ever_ makes sense. Akechi can't even figure out what Akira _really_ wants.

That's slightly unfair, Akechi _is_ fairly sure Akira wants friendship. But Akechi also thinks that's a stupid want, so to hell with it, Akira is some stupid enigma.

"I shot a cognition of myself. It had enough support with it that I knew it would kill everyone in the room if it wasn't taken out. So I took it out." Akechi knows his explanation is just fine, he's not leaving out anything important, but he has no idea if Elizabeth will accept it.

"And could you even guess on Joker's motivations?" Elizabeth asks.

"I wish," Akechi admits, "because I _can't_. Joker is an enigma and I will never be capable of understanding his motivations." Akira is a very strange man, and the only person Akechi has ever failed at figuring out completely. The fact that _Akira_ is the only person Akechi has ever been unable to figure out is infuriating. He can't be _that_ special. He can't be _that_ much of a Golden Boy.

Elizabeth raises an eyebrow at Akechi's description. "That's a rather odd description of a person, but I don't believe you're lying, either. I would have thought it would have been easy for you to read people, but it seems this Joker individual has tripped you up." 

Elizabeth pauses, before continuing. "Obviously he must be a Wild Card, then." Elizabeth speaks with an almost _dismissive_ tone towards her declaration of Akira being a Wild Card. Is she _wrong_ ? No, but normally being right wouldn't call for _that_ level of dismissal.

Akechi goes to say something, but a phone rings. _Elizabeth's_ phone rings. They must be here, then. The harbingers of his fate. Elizabeth stands up.

"Perhaps you've already figured it out, but that is other members of the group." Elizabeth doesn't answer the phone, letting it go to voicemail. "Well, I'll be back. Prepare yourself."

Elizabeth leaves the room. Akechi knows he can't possibly be mentally prepared for this, but he tries to prepare himself regardless.

\----

_-New message in PT chat!-_

_Oracle: alright_

_Oracle: @Queen get ur sister on the phone_

_Oracle: bc i did it_

_Queen: On it, get her ready._

_Oracle: on it (b ᵔωᵔ)b_

_Skull: hell yeah, means were gtting him out right?_

_Panther: gtting_

_Oracle: gtting_

_Queen: Professionalism, please._

_Fox: I believe it does, yes. As long as we can convince her to reverse her testimony._

_Skull: thx fox u dont make fun of my mistakes_

_Oracle: oh ill convince her fox_

_Oracle: hes gone, so no1 to stop me (✧ω✧)_

_Noir: i don't believe you should be risking witness tampering!_

_Noir: so please be nice, oracle!_

_Oracle: just 4 u bby (´ ω `♡)_

_Queen: Professionalism, please. Save this for the other chat._

\----

Futaba leans back in her seat, staring at the phone number she's tracked down. Finally, after days and days of searching, she found the witness.

A small smirk takes over Futaba's expression.

_Oh yeah, it's all coming together._

"Hmm?" Something flashes on Futaba's screen, catching her attention. It's not a notification for a chat, but…

_'Wasn't that for Akira's journalist friend?'_ Al Azif murmurs in the back of Futaba's thoughts. Futaba hesitates, realizing that it _is_ the notification she had set up to inform her of any changes in the journalist's partner.

Futaba still isn't quite sure how Akira figured out that the partner—Murakami Kayo, Futaba reminds herself—was still in a hospital alive, but she was, so Futaba started monitoring her condition for Akira.

Well, she _was_ also curious. Murakami's family isn't rich enough to have kept her alive this long, someone else is involved in handling Murakami's medical care and expenses, and that drew Futaba's attention. But if she's getting a notification, either the group found a way to revive Shadows—something that should be impossible—and reverse the effects of the mental shutdown, or Murakami had been taken off life support.

Futaba sighs. Some silly part of her had hoped this woman would somehow wake up, to be the first mental shutdown victim to survive the initial incidents and go on to regain consciousness. Really, she was the _last_ chance. Murakami was the only mental shutdown victim left alive—part of _why_ Futaba was interested in the intervention of an outside group. Did they want her alive because they were a group potentially connected to cognitive pscience?—the rest were psychotic breakdown victims, most of whom lived through the things they did while under the spell's effects.

Well, might as well click on the notification and dismiss it. Futaba drags her mouse and clicks on the notification.

_'Well THAT'S not good,'_ Al Azif comments as Futaba lunges for her phone.

\----

_-New message in PT chat!-_

_Oracle: oh no no no no_

_Queen: Oracle? What's wrong?_

_Queen: Did you find the wrong person?_

_Oracle: no_

_Oracle: urgh_

_Oracle: it's not related to this_

_Oracle: i just_

_Noir: take your time, oracle!_

_Noir: find your words first!_

_Panther: @Oracle It isnt something w/ Joker tho, right?_

_Oracle: technically?_

_Skull: wht u mean technically_

_Oracle: i know this info bc of him_

_Oracle: but_

_Oracle: frick it i have the nerves built up_

_Oracle: jokers journalist friends partner_

_Oracle: murakami kayo_

_Oracle: woke up from a mental shutdown_

\----

Futaba regrets being so direct as the chat blows up. She puts her phone screen down on her desk, trying to control her breathing.

They're not angry with her, she knows that. But the chat is scrolling too fast, they're freaking out too much. Futaba understands why.

The Metaverse is _gone_ . _Morgana_ is gone, so they don't even have his expertise—although Futaba would be perfectly fine with just having that dumb cat back. Futaba wants to cry as she thinks about Morgana. They barely got to say goodbye to him.

Futaba takes a deep breath. Morgana wouldn't want her to cry. Morgana would tell her she needs to keep the Thieves updated. Futaba picks her phone back up, reading the messages.

\----

_Skull: 4 real?!_

_Noir: !!!_

_Panther: @Oracle, u sure???_

_Noir: a victim of a mental shutdown woke up…?_

_Skull: no way_

_Skull: no f'ing way_

_Skull: isnt that shit imposible or smth_

_Skull: @Oracle how???_

_Queen: She's idle, please give her a moment, we don't want to overwhelm her._

_Skull: shit_

_Skull: sorry orcle_

_Panther: Im sorry Oracle, please dont stress out_

_Oracle: ur fine (´-ω-`( _ _ )_

_Oracle: im fine (*￣ω￣)b_

_Oracle: eventually ull learn how 2 spell skull (っ´ω`)ﾉ(ノД`)_

_Oracle: i just dont have info this time_

_Oracle: dont know how she woke up or anything_

_Oracle: this wouldve been monas area of expertise… (｡╯︵╰｡)_

_Oracle: i miss him still_

_Queen: We all do, I promise you're not alone in that feeling._

_Oracle: (╯✧ω✧)╯but!!!_

_Oracle: im sure mona would be like_

_Oracle: "ur being dumb and the answer is right in front of u"_

_Oracle: we just have to find it_

_Panther: Yeah! Im sure thats what hed want us to do!_

_Noir: can we help you with anything, oracle?_

_Oracle: not yet_

_Oracle: maybe l8r_

_Oracle: ill let u guys know tho_

\----

Futaba leans back in her seat again, setting her phone down. She's already gotten Sae in contact with the witness from Akira's original trial, the text was more for show and to let Makoto know not to bother her sister. Now she can focus on tracking down info on how Murakami woke up.

_'We can do this! Nothing can stop us, especially not some dumb private hospital's security systems. How tough can they really be?'_ Al Azif encourages Futaba from within her heart, hyping her up.

Futaba stretches, before leaning forward towards her desk. Time to get this started.

First roadblock, the hospital systems have been buffed since Futaba first used a backdoor to set up her notifications. Well, maybe _roadblock_ is too strong of a word. Futaba can get past this security, it'll just require caution.

What hospital can even afford this level of security anyways? Futaba knows it's a private hospital, but they're not usually _this_ tough. Futaba looks up the hospital name.

_'Again?'_ Al Azif mutters as Futaba reaches for her phone.

\----

_-New message in the PT chat!-_

_Oracle: @Noir_

_Oracle: pls help what do u know about kirijo mitsuru and her weird eccentricities as a rich person_

_Noir: not much, unfortunately. i'm not entirely sure if she's truly considered "eccentric". why?_

_Oracle: kirijo group owns the hospital & made security annoying _

_Panther: The Kirijo group is even in healthcare?_

_Skull: bro is there anyway they aint??_

_Oracle: well idk if they have a lot of hospitals_

_Oracle: they have private labs tho_

_Oracle: think they had connections 2 my mom_

_Oracle: would have to check its been a while_

_Queen: Do you think they could have used research gathered on cognitive pscience to find a way to wake up Murakami-san?_

_Oracle: maybe??? ╮(￣ω￣;)╭_

_Oracle: idk if even my mom would have had enough info_

_Oracle: & she was a leader in the field _

_Oracle: + no reason to actually think shadow selves can be brought back_

_Oracle: and w/o those, ur not waking up_

_Oracle: but pretty sure all of them were completely merc'd by black mask_

_Skull: god damn him_

_Queen: Skull, he's dead._

_Skull: shit im sorry_

_Skull: i didnt think i just typed_

_Noir: regardless of what he did, it would be wrong to speak ill of him now._

_Queen: Exactly._

_Queen: Oracle, do you think you could look into on your own, or would you like me to alert my sister?_

_Oracle: ill do it myself_

_Oracle: i know my ends secure, dont want anything getting out accidentally on her end_

\----

Futaba glares at her screen, leaning her chin against her fist. Even just a bit of digging has made the Kirijo group look _incredibly_ shady.

Did Akira know that this was who the journalist's partner was with? Does the _journalist_ know? If she _does_ know about the Kirijo group connections, does she know how shady the group has been in the house?

"Argh," Futaba groans. She puts her head down on her desk, groaning more. This is getting messy, and Futaba is hurting her brain by stressing over this.

"Futaba?" Oh, _shit_. Futaba scrambles to sit up and hide the windows with the hospital and Kirijo group information as Sojiro knocks on her door.

"I'm okay, just tired!" Futaba desperately tries to excuse herself, and turns around in her chair just as Sojiro cracks open the door. She tries smiling at him, hoping it'll make him at least slightly more comforted.

"You're getting proper sleep, right?" No, she's not, but Futaba isn't going to worry Sojiro by admitting that.

"Yeah, I just stayed up a bit too late last night. I'm totally adjusting my sleep schedule for school, though!" Futaba barely got any sleep over the night, she's been working, she's just hoping the computer is enough of a backlight to hide the bags under her eyes.

"He wouldn't want you to overwork yourself, Futaba," Sojiro gently tells her. Futaba's shoulders sag slightly, and she looks down.

Futaba fidgets with her hair, her expression falling. "I'm not overworking myself, I'm doing something I _want_ to do to help him. Who knows how much we could end up helping him?" Futaba doesn't mention that she's contacted Sae and sent a witness her way. Sojiro wouldn't be _mad_ , per se, but he'd ask too many questions about how she tracked down the witness that Futaba doesn't want to answer.

The phone rings down the stairs, and Sojiro sighs. "We'll talk about this later, alright?" He turns, walking away from the doorway, and Futaba silently slinks after him a few moments later. The perks of having to be completely silent during Palace infiltrations means you learn to be very quiet very quickly.

Futaba listens as Sojiro answers the phone, staying hidden at the top of the stairs.

"... Did something happen to the kid?" Sojiro sounds considered, and Futaba's gut twists with worry.

_'It could be Niijima-san! And if it's her, Dad's definitely going to find out that we tracked down the witness, even if she doesn't tell him outright.'_ Al Azif both eases and then immediately worries Futaba again. It'd be great if it's just Sae, but she could also be in trouble for tracking down the witness.

"The witness from his original trial stepped forward?" Sojiro looks towards the stairs, and Futaba hides again.

Yes! It _is_ Sae, and the witness must have agreed to help. Sae's probably telling Sojiro to get ready to pick him up. Futaba scurries back to her room to do a victory dance.

"Heh heh, he's going to be home soon! I did it, I found the witness and Niijima-san convinced her to testify!" Futaba falls back on her bed, pumping her fists in the air.

She closes her eyes and smiles.

_Oh yeah, it's ALL coming together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am a mess and i neglected to check my calendar. i posted chapter 1 just before my finals week for classes without realizing that's what i did, and burnout was pretty bad this time around, so it took me an entire week after finals week was up to even start on the chapter again.
> 
> hopefully, next chapter won't take this long to get out, but we will have to see. next week is my school's midwinter break (probably an american thing, i'm in the states, and yes despite having online classes we're still getting breaks, it's nice) so i'll be able to work on the chapter more. these first few chapters mostly were "skeleton" chapters, and then i changed the opening to the point where my skeletons don't quite work anymore, so i'm writing out stuff only knowing where i need to get without have much of a plan.
> 
> still! i will be continuing this, and i will try not to disappear for so long again.
> 
> i know this chapter is a bit shorter than the last, but i'm aiming to introduce akira next chapter, so next one will hopefully be a bit longer. plus, i think this is a good length regardless.
> 
> if i don't respond to your comments, i promise i still appreciate you, sometimes i just miss the email and other times i unfortunately get overwhelmed :( but i enjoy seeing your comments and i truly appreciate it!
> 
> i hope you guys have had a good few weeks (geez it's been so long since chapter 1) and i hope the rest of your day and week is good!
> 
> see you next time i update, i will try to get it up sooner rather than later!


	3. Golden Boy Syndrome, a Very Real Thing That Haunts Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi meets some of the people Elizabeth has brought him to, and Akira finally shows up in the present.

Akechi quietly waits, because there's nothing else he can do. Either Elizabeth's "coworkers" don't realize how loud they are, or they're tormenting him by being _just_ loud enough that he can hear them, but he can't understand them.

Akechi watches the clock in the room. Elizabeth has been outside for nearly _five goddamn minutes_. What the hell are they even talking about out there?

It takes another three minutes for the group—a group of five, including Elizabeth—to come inside. At some point, it sounded like someone was close to _yelling_ , and Akechi is so close to snapping and simply doing something to force them to throw him in jail, because it's looking a lot better than this.

_'Oh, please do. Make them squirm, piss them off, they deserve it,'_ Loki growls, pushing his way to the forefront of Akechi's heart and thoughts. 

Loki continues to describe what he believes Akechi should do, and Akechi puts on his pleasant detective prince mask. Better to act like a stupid, ditzy "detective" than whatever the hell Loki is trying to convince him to do.

Elizabeth notices the mask—of course she does, she spent multiple minutes speaking with him alone—but she's smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Good. Akechi focuses on the other members of the group.

Obviously, Akechi recognizes Nanjo Kei. Who the hell wouldn't? The only other person who isn't vaguely familiar _at best_ is one of the women in the group. Amano Maya, a journalist who was rather bold in her criticism with Shido. Akechi had never been able to find her Shadow, and she was too well connected to have Shido's other associates risk assassinating her.

Now that Akechi knows she's connected to the Velvet Room and almost one hundred percent a Persona user, it makes sense why he had never gotten a hit, and what connections she had been able to muster that scared even Shido off. Still, her marriage could easily prove to be a problem, especially if they're suspecting Golden Boy Akira of being the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

Back to the subject of familiarity, one of the other men _is_ vaguely familiar, but Akechi cannot remember where he could have seen the man's face before. Akechi doesn't recognize the last woman at all, but she's far younger than the others in appearance, besides maybe Elizabeth, but god knows how old attendants actually are.

This woman must have been the yeller, she's watching him with a venomous suspicion, and she looks, well, _pissed_. Does she think she has him figured out? Akechi wants to laugh, but instead he puts on the friendliest smile he has. For all he knows, the anger isn't even directed at him, and she's just not watching her expressions.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I certainly wasn't expecting the head of the Nanjo group to be a part of my saviors." Akechi keeps his tone soft, barely threatening. He keeps it _annoying_. God, he hates doing this. Akechi supposes he could always listen to Loki.

… Christ, did the cognition take out his higher brain functions? Internally, Akechi cringes at himself. Loki's ideas are useful in _specific_ situations, and this is far from _any_ of those specifics.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Akechi-kun." Amano keeps her tone chipper, and Akechi immediately suspects her of trying to be disarming, just like he is. She's a journalist, and he's not stupid. "I'm sure you've already recognized one of my colleagues, and I know you've already spoken with Elizabeth-san."

So Nanjo is letting this journalist take the lead? Either Amano knows what she's doing and Nanjo trusts her, or she's strong-armed her way into this position. Maybe it's even both.

She continues speaking. "Unfortunately, given the short notice we were working with, there are more people you'll need to meet at some point. But everyone here can introduce themselves. My name is Amano Maya, and I'm sure you recognized Nanjo Kei here." As Amano steps back, the unknown woman steps forward, smoothing out her expression.

_'Tell her you already knew that, and tell this one she's rather bad at hiding her emotions.'_ Akechi ignores Loki, refusing to let his growing annoyance with his Persona show.

"Arisato Hamuko, a pleasure to meet you Akechi-kun." She bows, and Akechi just hopes his panic isn't obvious.

Arisato Hamuko. _Arisato_. She looks young enough that Akechi can immediately pin her as a sibling and not worry about being mistaken. Elizabeth smirks at him—the _bitch_ , Lavenza must have told her something—and Akechi bites back an insult.

"Do you know Arisato-san?" Amano asks, casting concerned glances at him and the multiple machines Akechi is attached to.

Shit. He's attached to a _heart monitor_. They can see his heart rate spike, and of _course_ it'd spike when he's stressing over Arisato.

Elizabeth clears her throat, drawing eyes away from Akechi and that stupid goddamn heart monitor. "I'm sorry, I was slightly lost in thought and I gave Akechi-kun a rather hard glare while thinking about how I killed Erebus this year. I forget how scary I can be sometimes. Shall we finish introducing ourselves?"

Akechi doesn't think she's a very believable liar, and it doesn't seem that _anyone_ else in the room does either. Somehow, they decide to go with it anyways. He supposes they have as much evidence to disprove Elizabeth's claim as she does to prove it.

"Right. Um, I'll let you speak then." Arisato takes a step back, letting the last unidentified man handle his own introductions.

"Are you sure you're alright?" The man asks, raising an eyebrow. The fact that Akechi has _seen_ him somewhere before, he _knows_ that god damn face from somewhere, but the _where_ is slipping his mind is outright aggravating.

_'The heart monitor,'_ Robin Hood murmurs, reminding Akechi and doing his best to act as a calming presence. Akechi puts on a small smile and nods.

"Yes, thank you…?" Akechi trails off giving the man an opening to introduce himself and finish this torturous situation.

The man looks unconvinced, but continues anyway. "Suou. Suou Jun."

Suou. Suou Suou Suou. The name bounces around Akechi's skull, and he turns away from the group as the heart monitor spikes again. He is going to kill Elizabeth, _painfully_. Or maybe his cognition will walk in and finish the job before he can break her spine. Akechi isn't sure if that would be unfortunate or the best conclusion to this nightmare.

The cognition doesn't come, and likely won't be coming anytime soon enough. Of _course_ it had to be Suou. Of _course_ he couldn't escape that brat of a Golden Boy. Fate refuses to let Akechi get away from him. Maybe Akechi just needs to track down fate and destroy it. If the Golden Boy can kill gods, Akechi could handle something as simple as fate, right?

"I bet you want to tear my throat out with your teeth, don't you?" Elizabeth gleefully asks, interrupting Akechi's thoughts. Akechi snaps, his mask crumbling as he glares at Elizabeth.

"If you don't stop toying with me, I just might," Akechi growls. Akechi digs his hands into the bedding and balls them into fists. He'd rather not find out how sharp his nails are by possibly bruising his palms, but the twisting of fabric attracts eyes.

_'Do it, make her regret it, you're only restrained by the IV and the wires, and we know how to undo those. Your mind is the only thing really holding you back, just tear her apart, what could anyone else do?'_ Loki whispers, tightening his hold on Akechi's thoughts, all the while gently pushing his summoner's heart towards anger.

"What?" Elizabeth tilts her head, acting oh so innocent. Akechi barely resists the urge to bare his teeth, and Loki egging him on is _not_ helping. "Were you not expecting things to be so interconnected? I suppose one cannot blame someone so inexperienced to understand how common such occurrences are."

"Elizabeth, what the _hell_ did you talk about?" Arisato turns on the attendant, leaving Akechi feeling vindicated. She had tried to fuck with his plans, only to get turned on.

There _is_ still Suou to worry about. Akechi's gut twists as he thinks about the one other person he knows by that name. Suou has said nothing yet, he seems to be content with just watching.

It could have been a coincidence. If Elizabeth hadn't stepped in to save him when he recognized Arisato's name, Akechi could have _easily_ passed off Suou as a common name.

Elizabeth would not have been trying this damn hard to get Suou to introduce himself if there wasn't a connection. Akechi grits his teeth. He's stuck in a room with the family of a man he tried to kill twice, isn't he? Akechi is completely screwed.

Amano of all people steps forward, choosing to address Akechi first. "You obviously recognize the name, but you don't actually know Jun, do you?"

"I like to think I would have recognized him immediately, if I knew him personally." Now is not the time to get snappy, even if Akechi wishes he could. He remains as calm as he possibly can, trying not to let anymore signs of how much this is getting to him show.

"To answer your question, Hamuko," Elizabeth interrupts before Amano can ask more questions, "I simply discussed the reasons why I saved him and the testimony of the leader of the Phantom Thieves' of Heart with him. I thought Akechi-kun would appreciate knowing that the leader kept his teammates anonymous so he could avoid giving names."

Amano takes that information… and punts it out a metaphorical window. "Is Suou Akira the leader?" Akechi is impressed that she still bothered to ask even after Elizabeth's comments.

Akechi musters his brightest smile and prepares to ramble until someone cuts him off. "That's a wonderful question, Amano-san. I'm sure you all would just _love_ to have that confirmation, wouldn't you? After all, if you're asking, obviously you have a solid reason to suspect one of your friend's own _family_ of being a Phantom Thief. They're perceived as criminals by a majority of the population, had Okumura's death pinned on them—"

"How do you know that it was pinned on them?" Arisato is the first to interrupt, and looks towards him with a glare.

"Well, I was already suspicious of them by that point, and was simply tailing my suspects. I was accidentally dragged into the Palace, and I tailed them through the Palace. It was the "black mask" who killed Okumura." Akechi finds it strange to be referring to himself in the third person again. He had no intentions of telling the Phantom Thieves his true identity, but he does have to tell these people at some point.

"You witnessed the Shadow's death?" Arisato's expression grows slightly softer with curiosity, and she puts her hands in her pockets rather than crosses them.

Akechi makes the mistake of glancing at Elizabeth, as he's met with an incredibly strong glare. _Tell them_ , she mouths, and Akechi has to stop himself from gulping.

Akechi takes a deep breath, and sighs. "Yes, I did."

"Elizabeth, are you threatening him?" Ah, Amano must have followed his eyes. Well, that's not particularly good news. Especially when Elizabeth nods and confirms it.

"If by threaten you mean bring up information that Akechi-kun already has promised to reveal, then yes," Elizabeth clarifies. Akechi can't recall promising that he would, it was more like he was threatened.

"Okay, whatever Elizabeth is threatening you with doesn't matter, we're focusing on the Phantom Thieves and Okumura's Shadow. _How_ did the Shadow die?" Arisato moves the subject onwards, looking straight at Akechi as she waits for an answer.

"Well, to kill two birds with one stone, after finding that putting a bullet through its chest wasn't enough, I had to walk over to the Shadow and put a bullet in the back of its skull." Perhaps Akechi shouldn't have used "kill two birds" for these particular bits of information. If Elizabeth _hadn't_ been pushing for him to reveal what he's done, it wouldn't have even been necessary, but she was, and Akechi chose _the worst_ way possible to reveal he's a killer, perhaps besides killing something else.

Arisato looks outright horrified, and Amano turns away, as if she can _ignore_ what Akechi just admitted to. In contrast, neither Suou or Nanjo seem surprised. They must have been some of the most suspicious of him, then. Or, perhaps there was more of a debate about this than Elizabeth let on, and Amano and Arisato were simply some of the more charitable ones.

"There is _one_ other thing my sister also called me about, to warn me of a possible subject Akechi-kun may have decided to ask about," Elizabeth says. "A subject regarding my guest and Hamuko's brother."

Bringing up Minato flips a switch in the room, and Akechi curses Elizabeth under his breath as Arisato turns on him.

With a wild look of rage, Arisato balls her hands into fists. "What the hell do you know about him?"

Akechi stays calm. Being truthful—while maybe not the answer _Arisato_ would be looking for—is his best bet to undo some of the damage so callously admitting to murder has done. "I know that Igor says he can "attest to the characters of all past guests of the Velvet Room", and that Arisato Minato is one of those guests. Besides that, almost nothing. The "subject matter" would be my quest to determine if I can trust him."

Arisato gets angry again, and Akechi is beginning to despise her. It's as if Arisato didn't even process the fact that he is _trying_ to find a reason to trust her brother, something Akechi really doesn't have to do. 

"Are you calling my brother untrustworthy? You don't even know him, much less spoken to him!" Akechi is going to strangle Arisato with a bedsheet. He's fully aware of what grief can do to a person, but must Akechi _really_ be the subject of her unresolved rage at the apparent death of her brother?

_'Get spiteful,'_ Loki suggests, and finally Akechi decides to listen.

Akechi lets his tone line itself with venom as he speaks. "I'm sorry, Arisato-san, but after the first disembodied voice in my head sided with Shido-san, I have a policy not to trust them without question."

"What?" Arisato blinks, her anger replaced with confusion.

"I trust no one, Arisato-san, including myself," Akechi answers, leaning back in the bed. "In case you didn't hear me over your unruly rage, I have been looking for reasons to trust him. I told him I would evaluate his trustworthiness myself, something I most certainly didn't have to do. Of course, if you prefer it, I _could_ always just stop, Arisato-san."

"That's not…" Arisato trails off, and takes a step back. Good riddance. Akechi is far from in the mood to deal with someone who can't help but snap at him because _they_ made assumptions.

"Yaldabaoth was working with Shido Masayoshi?" Elizabeth knows names, at least. Whether through the Velvet Room or other sources, Akechi doesn't know.

"That would be a question for your sister, not me. I've only been told things about Yaldabaoth by people who received information from her," Akechi replies, genuinely unsure if Shido was aware of Yaldabaoth. Akira is a _very_ bad explainer when it comes to quickly explaining complicated situations, so Akechi knows jack shit about any possible connection there. Although he simplifies to the point where not a single useful detail slips through, Akechi can't particularly _blame_ Akira for this particular case. They were trying to get through everything quickly while a dead woman was alive in Leblanc, and Sumire had interrupted the situation to inform them of Maruki's Palace, so the lack of time was far from Akira's fault.

"I'll keep that in mind, then," Elizabeth says. "But, I suppose being surprised that Yaldabaoth was manipulating both of you is rather silly. It would be stupid of him to only go after the one with access to the Velvet Room."

Arisato turns back to Akechi with wide eyes. "You're a Wild Card?" Was she so angry that she didn't even realize he's already mentioned multiple things that would at least _hint_ at his being a Wild Card?

"No, of course he's not, he's simply been to the Velvet Room, has an attendant, and was also important enough for my sister to beg me to save him." Elizabeth rolls her eyes, getting as snarky as Akechi wishes he could risk. "Yes, of course he's a Wild Card, Hamuko. He's simply very bad at it. Almost no bonds whatsoever, constantly driving away people rather than trying to establish any more… It's amazing how well of a fight he put up against the Phantom Thieves."

"The leader of the Phantom Thieves described that fight as, and I quote, "beyond difficult." Would you say that descriptor is correct?" Nanjo _finally_ opens his damn mouth, and it's just to ask some stupid question like that? Is he trying to gauge him? What would that question even be useful for?

_'Heart monitor,'_ Robin Hood reminds him again. Right, right, they can gauge his reaction through the heart monitor. Akechi calms himself. He can't let himself get worked up over such stupid bullshit, because they're definitely watching the monitor.

"If that's the descriptor they're going with, then yes. I would say the fight was difficult for both sides." Akechi is slipping more and more into his interviewee mask. Just enough of an answer to satiate the fans, but it's a hollow answer with almost no additional information. Of course it was a difficult fight on his end, Akechi was taking on seven people without support. And for the Phantom Thieves, they were facing someone with over double their experience in years, and someone who had a whole other ability set that they didn't know about.

Amano looks irked by the answer, but hides it quickly. Of course she is, she's the journalist here, and she's likely dealt with slippery interviewees before. More likely than not, she was hoping Akechi was simply being set up by his interviewers in his interviews. Amano wasn't betting on Akechi being just as skilled by his lonesome.

There are too many ways Akechi is able to read into these people. They're experienced, they shouldn't be making all of this obvious. Are they doing it on purpose? Perhaps trying to lull him into a sense of complacency? No matter, Akechi isn't going to let his guard down. They can keep making themselves look wildly inexperienced for all he cares.

A nurse peeks in. "Excuse me, sir?" Addressing Nanjo, keeps her arms by her side. She's nervous, unsurprisingly. Who wouldn't be, facing one of the most powerful men in Japan?

"I assume we've run out of time?" Nanjo turns towards her as he speaks. Akechi would be terrified in the nurse's shoes, and is far from envying her. He _knows_ what it's like to have to report something bad to such a powerful superior.

"Yes sir, you have. I can escort you all back to the entrance, if you would like."

"I wanted to ask more about my brother," Arisato mutters. She side-eyes Akechi, before shaking her head. Elizabeth stands up and moves to stand besides her.

"I believe we should listen to the nurse, she is just doing her job after all. We can always ask more later, perhaps even once he's discharged." Elizabeth moves to usher Arisato out of the room, roping the nurse into it as well. Akechi is left with the three actual adults, and now that they're alone, they're _also_ terrifying in the same way as Elizabeth. Akechi cannot catch a single break, can he?

"For now, we've decided you'll be allowed to walk free, under our supervision. Do not test us, Akechi-kun. It's an offer I will revoke if it becomes bothersome. I _hope_ you can see eye to eye with us at some point in the future." Finally, Nanjo is talking, and of course it's about the fact that Akechi should be in police custody. But, somehow, Akechi managed to not royally fuck everything up. He has a tentative agreement, but it's a lot better than what he expected.

"All I have to do is behave myself, correct?" Akechi wants to be as sure as possible what his side of the deal is. He really, _really_ doesn't want to fuck this up when his freedom is on the line. The police will just mean death, even if Akechi believes he deserves the proper punishment. Shido's claws are almost certainly still in the Tokyo police, and if he just so happens to "accidentally" die, they'll do nothing about it.

Nanjo is his best bet, and the route he's least likely to die on. If they're willing to work with him, they must know the risks involved with turning him into the police.

Nanjo pauses, before nodding. "For now, yes. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, we do," Akechi answers. The world freezes, and Akechi can hear a distinct voice.

_“I am thou… Thou art I…_

_Thou hast established a new bond…_

_With the power of the Devil arcana, thou shall lead thyself to new heights…”_

Well, _that_ was strange. Akechi looks at the three, but they're already walking out. Did they even hear it? Is Akechi losing his mind? Was that one of the bonds Elizabeth mentioned? Too many questions with too little information. Akechi can figure out how to ask without making himself look insane later, as more hospital staff are coming in now.

\----

Akira isn't quite sure who he's supposed to be meeting, and he's worried it'll just be the probation officer coming around to chide him again.

Bouncing his knee, Akira watches to see who approaches. Rather than the black head of hair his probation officer sports, it's a head of silver that approaches him.

"Long time no see." Sae takes the seat across from Akira, smiling softly. "I have two pieces of good news. First off, we've finally managed to prosecute Masayoshi Shido."

Akira leans back in his seat as a wave of relief washes over him. One of the biggest hurdles would just be getting the case _heard_ , with how Shido has paid off so many courts.

"Your testimony has been incredibly useful, although right now we have yet to see any charges on the crimes committed with the Metaverse." Sae's smile shifts to a frown. "I knew proving its existence would be difficult, but Shido admitted to _all_ the crimes. It's frustrating, but he'll almost certainly be found guilty on the current charges at least. Masayoshi Shido will be going to prison, in no small part thanks to you."

"Good." Akira is glad Shido is facing the consequences of his crimes. Even if they can't go after the crimes done in the Metaverse, people are still getting the justice they deserve.

Sae's smile returns, brighter than before. "Of course, I do have one more good piece of news. Because of Shido's confessions, after today you're a free man."

No way. No fucking way. She has to be kidding, right? Akira's brain outright short-circuits while Arsène celebrates.

_'We're free! Ask her how, Akira, ask her how! Did the woman come forward? Did she reverse her testimony? Is Shido in deeper shit for forcing someone to lie in court?'_ Akira can hear the grin in Arsène's voice as he mentions the possibility of Shido being in more trouble with the law.

Sae must have picked up on his confusion, and explains herself. "The original woman from your trial came forward and admitted to being forced to testify against you by Shido. Your sentence will be reversed, and you'll be free to go." Sae leans back in her seat a bit. "I still don't know how your friends tracked her down, but Sakura-san pointed her in my direction, and she wanted to help you. Your friends weren't even the only people protesting, it was impressive how many different voices made themselves known. You've touched a lot of hearts, haven't you?"

Akira smiles and keeps his answer cryptic. "Maybe."

Sae shakes her head, but doesn't push further. "Well, we don't want to keep Boss waiting, do we? We can talk more once you're settled again. Congratulations on being a free man, Suou-kun."

A free man. Akira has his friends to thank for this, and they are going to get sick and tired of how many times he'll thank them. Akira will have his life back.

What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> funny story about this, i was projected to have this done last week before i realized that i had messed up on dates. somehow, in all the planning i've done for this story, i never once realized that joker gets out on *february* 13th, not *march* 14th, and that really messed with my head. this does technically mean that i have nothing concretely planned for the entire month of february, basically, and for you guys specifically that means next chapter will be PT-centric. we should be returning to my planned stuff by chapter 5 though!
> 
> but anyways, besides my realization that i had messed up on dates, my last few weeks have been good and i am in a writing mood™ once more!
> 
> i really hope you guys enjoy this chapter and i am excited to see you guys next chapter! i hope your day/week is good!


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